Galatea

I really wanted to like this one. All the ingredients should make for one hell of a good perfume! I guess, for me, it was not meant to be. Ten minutes of wear and it morphs into hellishly awful powdery-smelling mess. Must be the black musk...because cocoa and tobacco usually smell great on me, and stay true to their smell.

This is THE peach perfume I've been searching for! I love peach, and I once upon a time had a simple one note peach perfume oil by Frontier, but it's been gone for years. This is just perfect for me. The peach is full and warm, almost heavy, but not overly sweet. The musk and ho wood give it a good base. The tea and florals on me don't kick up too much of a fuss, but contribute to fullness of the peachy smell. Thank you, thank you, thank you for making this! I love it. In fact, I should buy more bottles of it so I don't run out.

I've heard a lot of other people have issues with this blend. So going in I was wary. But, it was for naught! This is a nice later summer smell, that's for sure. Warm, musky, green, sweetish, honey-soaked. On me the blend goes a bit too greenish at first. It's not strong, but a more herbal than I usually go for. But, about four hours in and it's all sweet fig, and honey, and berries, and musk. Glad this one worked out on me!

This was one of those surprise loves. By it's description I never would have bought even an imp to try this. But luckily I was fimp'd a sample and tried it. On me it turned out to be the best clean-aquatic scent ever. I've tried quite a few of them in my day, and even once being a self-professed addict of Cool Water perfume, and way too many aquatics turn out to smell like straight dryer sheets or fabric softener. Not this one! The Deep Ones is all at once clean and fruity, aquatic and sweet. I love it. That one little fimp led to me buying a whole bottle after only one scent test.

In the Imp: Very sweet and warm. Kind of like incense, but almost like food. Not sure which food really, but still a bit foody. Wet: Warm sunbaked earth (in light of the name of the blend perhaps this is the scent of the dried up old book?) with incense and sugar. Weird. Dry: This dried down to nearly nothing on me. It's still a bit sweet and a little earthy, and certainly still seems sunny. But I have to bury my head in my arm to smell it at all. Throw: Not the best. I wouldn't say poor, but it's not medium either. It starts out ok, but in less than an hour it's down to 'not much at all'. Overall: I like it, I just wish it was stronger on me. It seems to be a scent that turns out strong on other people, so I guess I can just blame my stupid chemistry. Damn, there arn't enough incense scents in the world to please me, when one of them goes south it pains me. Rating: +

In the Bottle: Sweet and fall to a T; apples and pumpkin wiht just hints of spiciness. Wet: Grasses and herbs, spices and apples. Like being in a field of pumpkins, with spices burning, and a nearby group of kids bobbing for apples. There is at once a heaviness and a lightness to it, hard to explain. It's both sweet and serious too. This blend is sooo full of contraditions. Dry: The first promenient note of the dry down is what I assume to be the mullien. It's a voraciously herbal note, almost medicinal, but not quite. Or maybe that's the black patchouli. At any rate it's a bit odd smelling to me, but not aweful. After about fourty minutes or so the weirdish herbal note dries off and all that's left is a nice warm, spicy, and slightly woodsy/musky. I really like the dry phase of this one. Throw: On the low side actually. For all the spices in this blend, not to mention patchouli which is usually fairly powerful, this one doesn't have the throw. Overall: Though I'm not a huge fan of all the pumpkin scents, this one is better than any of the others I've tried. It's not a whole lot of pumpkin in it to tell the truth, at most is smells like you're walking near a pumpkin patch, not like you have ten pies in the oven. The apple seems to contribute a bit more, but not a lot more. The base scent of this blend is herb and spice, with the patchouli adding a sweet and musky background. Rating: +

In the Imp: Green herbal, ever so slightly floral. Wet: I have to say I love this scent. So many of the other reviews mention camphor or eucalyptus-like smell to it, but I don't get that at all. I do get a healthy dose of chammomile herbal lushusness, and it is wonderful. It's very green-herb, with just a hint of creamy floral sweetness to it. Very intriguing and calming and nice. Dry: After about 30 minutes of dry down I start to get a bit of a minty scent from it, it replaces a bit of the intial herbal quality. The mint is sweet and light and not at all sharp to me. This reminds me a lot of Arcana's Anodyne. Throw: B+ on the throw, it's pretty damn good. Overall: I really like this one, if I didn't have a 10ml bottle of something that smells very similar I might wear this one more often than just the one day a month I'm a ragaholic, pmsing, bitch from hell. I'll have to wear it on a crampy day and see if it helps with that too; if it does, I might buy a bottle just to help on that one day a month. Rating: ++

In the Imp: Very crisp, clean, sharply snowy. Wet: Crazy huge evergreen forest covered in a thick blanket of snow; oops! you just stepped on a small patch of berries! This is gorgeous, cool, clean and ultimately very natural smelling. Dry: As this dries the snowy scent fades off and the evergreens get a bit more prominant. There is also a lurking sweetness I can only assume is the floral bouquet, though it doesn't really come across so much as flowers. Throw: A very close to the skin scent. To me it is disappointingly so. (Maybe this might have to do with it's age?) Overall: While I do like this scent, it has three drawbacks. First, it has hardly any sillage at all. I have it on and can't even smell it on me unless I bury my nose in my arm. Second, it is a bit of a one noter. I get no secondary scent profile (or third, or fourth); the snowy part burns off in less than a minute and then it's all greenery and sweetness. Third, it's a lunacy and probably terribly hard to get ahold of (it took me months of buying and swapping to find half an imp). Rating: +

In the Imp: Very sharp and clean. The ozone (I assume) note makes for something that smells both electrical and aniseptic. Wet: Still just a bit too "cleaning fluid" for my tastes. Smells quite a bit like Yankee Candles Clean Cotton scent. Dry: The ozone and aniseptic smell burns off within 15-20 minutes, and it seems the lunar blooms kick in a bit. Now this is the scent of cool, clear air after a storm with just a hint of faint flowers nearby. About an hour after that it's SOAP ATTACK!!! Shit. Throw: Not great at first, then when it gets soapy it's very powerful. Overall: I'm not terribly impressed. For as hard as this scent was to track down and aquire it's really not worth it. Ozone notes just don't seem to work on me very well, they all tend to smell aniseptic, like cleaning fluids or something else I don't want to smell like. And if the final result of every wear of this is going to be CLEAN! SOAP! SMELL! - then thanks, but no thanks. Rating: +/- (neutral)

In the Imp: Apples!!! Slightly sugary, like a hint of caramel drizzled over fresh cut apple slices. Wet: Soooo yummy. Apples in the orchard with a hint of spicy, cool, fall-time night air, and it still has that slight caramel scent. Dry: The apple really sticks around! The dry down doesn't really end any of the notes, but merely mutes them a bit. The eventual addition of a woody note makes the scent more full and fall-like. Throw: Medium. Overall: Perfect fall apple scent. I love it. Rating: ++

In the Imp: Clean, pure, slightly sweet. Rather like a calm clear night, with moonflowers and water nearby. Wet: Very sharp and clean, yet with a background of warmth. The stargazer lily is very strong up front, but soon wears down a bit so it is managable. The aloe makes for a slightly aquatic sense. Dry: The lily dries off for the most part and all that's left is the musk, light amber, and just a hint of light white floral. It's very light and nice. Throw: At first there is quite a bit of throw, but it dies off pretty quickly. Overall: I like this, but it doesn't seem all that unique a scent, I get a sense of it being a lot like a handful of other scents (both BPAL and other companies). The other major drawback for me is that this blend is rather short lived. It totally disappears after only a few hours. Rating: +

In the Imp: Sweet, yet slightly frosty. Wet: Very sweet, bright-pink candy; random berry-flavored, extra sweet candy. Even upon first application I don't get any frosty-snowiness at all. Dry: Still pretty much true to when it was wet, and on me this scent really lasts, about 5-6 hours all told. But the entire time it really is just a one note wonder. Pink berry candy. Throw: Medium-good. By no means will it overpower anyone, but you will get nice little whiffs of it every once in awhile for quite awhile. Overall: While it's nice, it's certainly not complex. And while I do like sweet, foodie scents, this isn't really one of my favs. For a snow frosted berry scent I think I prefer Skadi. Rating: +

In the Imp: Sweet coffee goodness, mmmmmm. Wet: Yep, straight up Irish Coffee! Sweet with cream, good quality strong-ass coffee, and then a little background kick of the whiskey. Dry: The sweetness dries off a bit and there is a hint of woods, but they blend into the coffee scent so well they would hardly be noticable to most people. This is a very perky, yet comfortable, scent. Throw: Eh, little less than moderate. A close to the skin scent unless you slather. Overall: This is a great scent, and really like nothing else in BPALs catalogue. So for that later reason I can see why so many people were so crazy over this scent when it was an LE. But to tell the truth to me, it's not soooo unusual and wonderful that I would have still loved myself after spending ungodly amounts of money to get it. Rating: ++

In the Imp: Clean white lilac. Wet: Death by lilacs. *ugh* I don't know why I ever get the idea that I can wear lilac, it always overwhelms me and just gets too strong my my skin. I can detect a bit of the phlox under the gigantic lilac bowers. I have an idea that the lilac will totally overpower any of the wisteria, lily and moonflowers. Dry: The lilac only calms down by a fraction. The overall scent is flowery, dry, white, airy. I get no violet or musk at all. The sandalwood is barely peaking above the lilac. Throw: Moderate. Overall: Not for me at all. Lilac always gets too aggressive on me, and I dislike lilac to boot. I've learned my lesson, if the description says lilac, stay far far away. Rating: --

In the Imp: Sweet dark, slightly spicy cherries. Just the barest hint of earthy patchouli. Wet: Whoa! Cherries drenched in cardamom! The spicey cardamom is really, really prominent. The only thing keeping the cherries and cassis from being overwhelmingly sweet is the little background of patchouli. Such great balance! Dry: Oh noes! The cardamom is making my skin react a little, red splotchy areas on the inside of my elbows (were I generally test all new perfumes). I really do like the spicy scent of this blend, but I guess I will have to go a bit easier with it next time unless I want to just push through this red itchiness. After about fourty-five minutes or so the redness is mostly gone. In the dry phase the patchouli moves it up a notch and the cherry takes it down some. I never really get a sense of the verbena being around. Throw: Really crazy big throw. All spice and cherries and then all spice and patchouli. Overall: I do like this, excepting the redness created by the cardamom of course. It could be a bit overwhelming with the spice on some days though. The only thing that might make this blend better is to decrease the amount of cardamom by a bit. Rating: ++

In the Imp: Tropical fruity sweetness. Wet: Wow, sooo sweet and fruity. I'd swear it was some kind of bubblegum. Dry: After the sweetness of the wet phase dries out a bit the white pepper really sinks it's teeth in for a bit of bite. Plus, it's not til now that I even noticed the orange peel, it's rather acidic and bitter. This is a very odd, chaotic and just downright strange blend. It's sweet, bitter, pungent, fruity and just a bit stronger than all of this together would seem to be. Throw: Very strong, throw for the first two hours is actually really high. Overall: Can't say I really like this, it might just be me and my stomach at the moment (hence why I will be trying this again later), but this is turning my stomach. Too sweet, too peppery, too strong, too bitter - just really, really not for me. Rating: --

In the Imp: Woodsy-sweet and incense, this is gonna be good... Wet: Warm, musky, woodsy, vanilla, smoky, with just a hint of sharp tangy fruitiness to it. This is so perfect a blend you can nearly smell all the elements of it from the start. No "HI! I"M THE TOP NOTE" happening at all. Dry: I get the impression that the tartness of the pomegranate has burned off a bit, but the blend is otherwise the same. The patchouli leaf is such a unique element. It's mostly woodsy-leafy-smoky, with just a hint of the pungent balsamic fragrance of patchouli. It mixes so perfectly with the red musk and vanilla. Like they were meant for each other. Throw: I'd say the throw is medium in grade. If some perfumers alcohol was added to this blend it would make for a bit better sillage, but as it is this is a long lasting, close-but-not-too-close to the skin scent. Overall: Love, love, love. I can see why this is Beth's signature scent. We must have similar tastes. I must have a bottle asap. Rating: +++

In the Bottle: Clean, bright, and light, with an ever-so-slightly sweet undertone. Wet: Soooo utterly beautiful. Ethereal is the most descriptive word for this. This blend smells a bit more on the "deisgner perfume" side from what BPAL usually does, but it is still utterly lovely. Floral, aquatic, and down to earth all at the same time. Dry: Whoa, this one moves it up a notch when it reaches the dry phase. It was less strong in the bottle and when I first put it on, now it's about three times stronger and REALLY floral. Not killer floral by any means, but it has a much more pronounced flowery presence. It's very clean-floral smelling. Perfumy, with wonderful hints of sweetness from the peach, beeswax and vanilla. Throw: Superb throw. This doesn't overpower, but has definate sillage. Overall: I'm not a floral perfume type of girl, but this really appeals to me. I think it has just enough elements of woods and gourmand goodies to make the flowers stay in their place. This blend is very spring-summer, womanly, white, sparkling and well rounded. Don't discount this blend if it seems too weak or too strong to you at first, try it and you might be pleasantly surprised what it turns into. Rating: ++

In the Imp: Slinky, sexy, sweet and yummy. This is like the most yummy incense blend ever. Wet: The vanilla is definately a winner in this blend, along with the musk and spices it's not too sweet and totally smoky. This is just so...fabulous. I want to smell this all the time. Dry: Oooooh, *purr*. Slightly spicier, the musk developed even more, the amber stays put, because it knows what's good for it (amber usually goes all powdery on me). The labdanum and black coconut never have a front seat, but instead add depth to the scent. Throw: Pretty damn good! Overall: It's everything I love in a perfume - deep, slightly sweet, smoky, musky, spicy, nothing like any other perfume ever (or at least of the 'designer perfume' variety, there are a couple of other BPAL scents that this reminds me a bit of). Love! Love! Love! Dammit, now I'm going to have to sell my potential first born to buy a bottle of this stuff. Rating: +++

In the Imp: Warm, slightly sweet and a bit almondy. Wet: Yummy almond goodness - I like almond goodness. Unfortunately as the wet phase winds down the almondness gets less and less promenent and there is a stong Amber note that takes over. Dry: Powdery with just a hint of the sweetness from the almond. There is some kind of spice I can't identify, it's not bad, but not whoohoo great either. Throw: There is a little bit of a fragrance cloud around me... Overall: Meh, not impressed with the overall "Yet again, amber from BPAL will turn into nothing but sweetish powder" tricks. I don't like perfumes that smell like nothing but sweet baby powder. This blend turns into a two note wonder on me unfortunately. Rating: +/-

In the Imp: Crisp and clean. I smell the mint and ozone straight away. Wet: Mmmmm, cool without being MINTY!, airy and breezy without being totally COLD. I don't notice any musk action at all at first, and the frankinscence keeps to itself, or does a good job of blending in, quite a bit. Dry: The frankenscence and musks ever so slowly develop throughout the drying process. Being what they are (resin and base notes) this make perfect sense, but the lazy, and still throughly blended, process of it is amazing. There is no definately moment of "Ah! There it is!" Throw: Not a terrible lot of throw, as is typical of blends with mint and or ozone for a top note. Subtle is their first name. A mint top note that throws much more than this would tear your head off with it's menthol smell. Overall: This is a wonderful perfect blend for a hot summer day. Musky, minty, ozone is akin to an orgy of a good blend, the frankenscence adds enough of an earthy anchor, and yet keeps to a background and well blended position, that it make the orgy fun and not too crazy. Rating: +++

In the Imp: Hmmm, can hardly make out anything from just the imp. A bit of lavender perhaps. Wet: The lavender jumps out, as well as the rose. Alas, I get not cherry at all. So sad. Dry: Very white and clean and unfortunately a bit powdery. The white musk? The rose? I have no idea. Lavender and red musk never go powdery on me at all. Red musk is typically a winner for me. Almost all the blends with it in it are on the top of my list. Throw: Meh. Overall: Disappointing. All of the ingredients, excepting the rose, are scents that usually work well on me and I really love. This blend, just doesn't. It doesn't even last very long either. Two hours tops is the wear on this one. Rating: -

In the Imp: Very floral, the jasmine reigns supreme from the imp. Wet: Jazztastic jasmine. Nothing more. Dry: The oakmoss and sandalwood come out to run competition with the jasmine. finally. Throw: Jasmine always has a certain amount of throw, no matter what. This is no different. But after twenty minutes the jasmine wears off and it's not so strong. Overall: After the inital burst of jasmine wears off this blend is actually quite lovely. The oakmoss, sandalwood and musk all blend to make a nice yummy basenote layout, that occasionally peaks into white flowery scents as the jasmine reasserts itself through nearly the entire weartime. It doesn't stay strong for very long though. Rating: +

In the Imp: A clean clear pool of spring water deep in a green lush forest. Watery with clean herb notes. Wet: Ahhhhh, very relaxing. I can see this becoming a bedtime scent for me. It's clear and sweet enough, with calming herbal notes, and warm apple with amber. It smells clean without being one of those overpowering "clean" scents or the least bit soapy. Dry: This is just sweet enough, lightly apple-scented, and all around wonderful. This would make the perfect household scent. My husband would love it as his favorite Yankee candle tart is MacIntosh. Throw: Pretty good, it smells like a combination herb garden and apple orchard. Overall: This is very nearly an epitome of spring. Rating: +++

In the Imp: Bubblegum! Wet: Very, very sweet peach with just a touch of the alcohol in the wine. Man it makes for a strong top note! But I don't mind at all, every peach blend so far has severly disappointed me. Peachy Peach Peach! Dry: First dry stage brings out just a hint of the amber and a very slight bit of myrtle (a bit of a whitish-green smell?) The ambers musk and peach oil blend so well together it's rather hard to scent one note apart from the others. Throw: Great! Overall: I've found my perfect peach scent! I love this stuff! I'm thinking a 10ml bottle is in order before they disappear. Rating: +++